Raises approved for Castiglione, Oklahoma coaches

ARDMORE, Okla. -- Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione
and five of the Sooners' head coaches -- including football coach
Bob Stoops and basketball coaches Sherri Coale and Jeff Capel -- had
raises approved Wednesday by the university's Board of Regents.

Stoops, already one of the nation's highest-paid coaches,
received a $50,000 annual raise, increasing his guaranteed annual
income to $2.55 million, and had his contract extended by two years
to December 2013.

Stoops, who guided the Sooners to the Big 12 Conference title
last season, is eligible to receive a "stay bonus" of $3 million
following the 2008 season if he remains at Oklahoma. His contract
also is laden with incentives, including $150,000 if Oklahoma wins
the national title.

Castiglione, who has been mentioned as a possible candidate to
replace outgoing Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg, had his base
salary increased by $30,000 to $325,000 and his potential bonus
amount increased by $50,000 to $155,000.

Oklahoma also extended Castiglione's contract by four years and
gave him a new title -- vice president for intercollegiate athletics
programs -- in a move that university President David Boren said
"sends a strong message ... that we desire and expect Joe
Castiglione to lead our athletic department for many years."

Coale, whose squad has reached the round of 16 in the NCAA
tournament the past two seasons behind reigning national player of
the year Courtney Paris, received the largest bump. Coale had made
$550,000 annually in guaranteed money, but now will be paid
$800,000 a year. On Sunday, she will be eligible to receive
$250,000 in deferred compensation and she could receive another
$200,000 in deferred compensation if she remains at Oklahoma
through June 2011.

Her contract, which was set to expire in 2010, now runs through
2017. It calls for Coale to receive a $20,000 raise each year,
except for the 2011-12 contract year, during which the raise will
be $70,000.

Castiglione said Coale now will be the third-highest paid coach
in the Big 12, behind new Texas coach Gail Goestenkors and Baylor
coach Kim Mulkey. Mulkey has won a national title, while
Goestenkors (while at Duke) and Coale each have taken a team to the
championship game.

Boren said that even before Oklahoma's contract discussions with
Coale began, she turned down an offer to become Texas' head coach,
following the retirement of Jody Conradt in March.

"They offered quite a bit more money than she was making, and
she turned them down," Boren said.

"When people do things like that voluntarily all the time for
you, you shouldn't just take them for granted, because she could
have gone to Texas for more money than even this contract. She more
than deserves what we're doing and we're just trying to send a
signal of how much we appreciate her," Boren said.

Capel, who went 16-15 during his first season as the Sooners'
men's coach, now will make $750,000 annually, up $100,000. His
contract now extends to June 2012.

Boren and Castiglione said all the raises were market-driven and
given in an attempt to ensure that the coaches will remain at
Oklahoma.

"It was a good year, and it also reflects what's happening
around the country," Boren said.

Stoops once was the nation's highest-paid football coach, a
status now held by Nick Saban, who receives $4 million annually at
Alabama.

"There are some real outliers like Alabama in football, but our
coaches have not been pushing us to do things like that," Boren
said. "We're mindful that we have a program that's very
successful. It's generating increased revenues every year, which
puts them in a position that we don't have to put any of our
university budget money into athletics. In fact, they help us."

Castiglione said that while he's flattered about talk of a
possible candidacy to become Big 12 commissioner, he's happy at
Oklahoma.

"I'm fully committed to the University of Oklahoma," he said.
"I've always considered it an honor and a privilege to have this
role. While, in my business, that might be the natural next step, I
still believe my best work is an extension of my passion to work
with student-athletes and, of course, the coaches and staff, on a
campus."

Softball coach Patty Gasso, whose Sooners won the Big 12 title
and reached a super regional this past season, will receive a
$11,900 raise in base salary to $122,000 annually. Track and cross
country coach Martin Smith, who guided Oklahoma's men to the Big 12
outdoor title earlier this year, will have his base salary increase
from $117,000 annually to $130,000. Both contracts now extend
through June 2011.

Oklahoma also increased the annual guaranteed money received by
Brent Venables, Stoops' defensive coordinator, by $50,000 to
$315,000.